Morley has won full approval for £24.3m of Towns Fund grant following the submission of outline plans to the Government in July.
The funding award comes after Leeds City Council and the Morley Town Deal Board worked on a Town Investment Plan and designed a range of schemes to deliver on key priorities identified through public consultation.
The plans include the following:
- New and improved public spaces, with planting transforming areas around the town centre. There will be key improvements at Town Square and Queen Street and significant development of local parks, playgrounds, and public rights of way.
- Significant upgrades to travel choices, especially for pedestrians and cyclists, with better access to the train station. Enhanced routes around town will improve access to existing highways, and better crossings and junctions will increase safety. Connections between the Town Centre, Morley Train Station, White Rose, and White Rose Station will also be developed.
- Plans for a White Rose Innovation Hub, which complements a new technology-focused skills campus run by Leeds City College. Both developments will provide exceptional skills training and job opportunities for residents and businesses.
- Securing Morley’s heritage buildings, with enhancements to Morley Town Hall to bring more events and activities to the town, introducing a cafe bar, better accessibility, and improving the space around the building.
- A new heritage grants scheme will also be offered to businesses to invest in shop fronts and to restore historic buildings along Queen Street, together with supporting work to bring vacant heritage properties back into use.
With full funding now confirmed, the outline plans will move to the design stage, with initial project delivery expected to start in 2023, following further public consultation. Delivery work is projected to last until 2026.
Councillor Helen Hayden, Leeds City Council’s executive member for infrastructure and climate, said: “I’m pleased that we have been able to deliver this funding approval for the people of Morley, and I want to congratulate everyone on the hard work that has already gone into the various projects.
“The Town Investment Plan is a real opportunity to build a better future for Morley. Not only will these plans bring essential health, environmental, and transport improvements and secure the town’s heritage, they will deliver excellent education and job opportunities for the future.
“However, the work to bring the Town Investment Plan to reality is far from over. I encourage everyone in Morley to get involved in future consultation to make the Town Deal a plan that rightly represents the views and needs of local people.”
Gerald Jennings, chairman of the Morley Town Deal Board, said: “A great deal of hard work over the past 18 months by the Town Deal Board, Leeds City Council and most importantly, the people of Morley has gone into securing this funding.
“The consultations we ran highlighted the people’s appetite for a better connected, more dynamic Morley that is a healthy and happy place to live and work while simultaneously recognising and protecting its incredible heritage. I believe that the initial plans encompass all these ambitions and more. I look forward to working with the people of Morley on the design and delivery stages.”
Board member, Andrea Jenkyns MP, said: “The government’s £24.3 million, once-in-a-generation investment into Morley, looks to bolster our local offering and ensure that our economy, our high street, and our town goes from strength to strength. Decisions must prioritise the wants and wishes of the people of Morley, must offer accountability and transparency, and – above all – offer value for money for every pound of taxpayers’ money spent.
“The jewel in the crown of proposed works is the delivery of our new skills and learning college, which will upskill and retrain learners from across our town and the wider area, giving more local learners access to good and outstanding quality education.”
